Prince and Princess, A Mary and Bert Story
by BroadwayStarlet
Summary: Mary Poppins and Bert are very much in love and enjoy jumping into paintings and books on her nights off. Here she and Bert jump into the story of Snow White. Meet Princess Mary, aka Snow White, and Prince Bert! Fairy tale romance. Read and review please!


**Prince and Princess  
><strong>

By BroadwayStarlet  
>Source: Mary Poppins<br>Rated: T  
>Genre: Romance<p>

Disclaimer: Mary Poppins belongs to PL Travers, The Sherman Brothers, Stiles and Drewe, Cameron Mackintosh, Disney, etc. I also don't own Snow White or the Dwarves or any other Disney characters I might reference in this.

Special thanks: My friends - Christina, Loes, Vanessa, Juli, who encouraged the [rather insane] stories I write... As well as my favorite performers who have played Mary and Bert in the musical - Laura Michelle Kelly, Gavin Lee, Caroline Sheen, Nicolas Dromard, Ashley Brown…

Summary: Mary and Bert are in love, and like to jump into paintings and storybooks for fun on Mary's night off…

Basically, I got this idea while watching _Snow White. _I noticed that Mary fits Snow White's description as well and thought it would be cool to have her and Bert jump into this fairy tale.

Please excuse the terrible lyrics I write, and some of the forced rhymes that the magic mirror speaks. There's one I'm really proud of - it's the one that flows well.

I'm actually fond of this story because it's one of the more creative Mary/Bert stories on this site, I think. Only I would think of something crazy like this.

* * *

><p><strong>M<strong>ary Poppins sat by the fireplace in Bert Alfred's flat. The snowstorm raged outside the windows. With a book in hand, she enjoyed the warmth of the fire. It was a Wednesday night, her night off. Mary spent every night off with Bert. They were lovers, after all.

It began when Mary had first started working at the Banks' household at Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane. She took Jane and Michael Banks to the park, found her good friend Bert there, and all four of them jumped into a painting of the park. Bert's vision of the park was much brighter, more colorful than London's real park. It had been a magical day. The children rode the carousel and danced with Neleus.

Meanwhile, Mary and Bert had their own private tea party, during which he told her he loved her, and kissed her. And she'd just serenaded him – with her admiration that he'd never pressed his advantage and remained chivalrous. When Bert said those three words, "I love you," and leaned across the table, taking her delicately gloved hands in his rough ones, kissing her lips – Mary didn't care that she was supposed to be a proper lady and that this man had just pressed his advantage. He loved her. And she realized she loved him.

That was an entirely different situation. Loving her was much different from taking advantage of her. He loved her deeply, purely, and he always had, so he said. Hearing such words melted her heart, and if he loved her so much…she was overwhelmed with appreciation and adoration for this man who was so selfless, a true friend, and the man who loved her. Her adoration for him surged within her and she found herself wanting to kiss him constantly. She wanted to wrap him in her arms, hold him tight, be held by him, and be loved by him…only him…her Bert.

And here they were, months later. She was still with the Banks family, and the seasons had changed from summer to autumn to winter. There were still games to be played and lessons to be learned, and so Mary stayed. Not that she was in a hurry to leave. She loved the Banks family and being with Bert.

Mary sighed at her memories of that night, when she met Bert on the rooftop after Jane and Michael had gone to bed. There she stayed wrapped in Bert's embrace, with his lips on hers for what seemed like hours. Not that she minded kissing him for hours. They were lovers, after all…

"Wot's that lovely sigh for, darlin'?" Bert asked as he reentered his sitting room carrying two cups of tea.

"I'm just remembering the night we professed our love, my sweet," she said, taking her cup as he sat next to her. She leaned into him. "Thank you for the tea."

"Anythin' for my Mary," he said, and leaned to kiss her cheek. "Wotcha readin'?"

"A book of fairy tales. Jane is awfully fond of them and I thought I could take the children to one of these fairy tale worlds one day this week."

"That would make her dreams come true, Mary."

"I thought so. You're welcome to join us there, my love. I'd love to have you with me in a fairy tale world…my knight in shining armor."

"Would I get to rescue a damsel in distress?"

Mary giggled. "You might…if I am that damsel."

"No one else could play that part like you, Mary," Bert said. "And I wouldn't rescue anyone else." She laughed again. "But Mary, couldn't we go there now? Create our own fairy tale without the children?"

Mary smiled brightly. "I suppose we could. How about this one? I could be Princess Mary, also known as Snow White, and you could be Prince Bert…who saves her from her evil stepmother."

Bert nodded. "Ain't that the story where she lives with seven little men and then the witch kills 'er and the prince has to kiss her to revive 'er?"

Mary nodded. "But Bert, nothing in the story would be real. I promise you I will not die. If it gets too scary I can always snap us back home. And if you miss me or get frightened, just say and you'll be by my side."

Bert kissed her. "Alright Princess. Let's 'ave an adventure…"

* * *

><p><strong>M<strong>ary no longer wore her blouse, skirt, and long coat. Instead she wore the gown of a princess, except one that was covered in dirt and soot. She clutched a broom and swept the steps of the palace.

"Snow White," a sinister voice called from the balcony above. Mary looked up and saw the queen, who she assumed was her wicked stepmother.

"Yes, your highness?" she called.

"Are you finished sweeping yet?" the queen called. "Fetch me a pail of water."

"Yes, ma'am," Mary said. She went to the wishing well and drew water into the pail. _I __suppose __I __should __sing, __since __that __is __what __the __young __princess __did __in __the __story, _Mary thought.

She wasn't afraid to sing, her voice always captivated the children on her first day as a nanny… She remembered singing about being practically perfect in every way her very first day with Jane and Michael. But that wasn't an appropriate song for this moment. _I__'__m __a __princess __forced __to __be __a __slave __to __her __evil __stepmother, __I __long __for __a __prince __to __carry __me __away__…_

"Oh it's a jolly holiday with you, Bert…" Mary hummed and then shook that melody out of her head.

Then she sang simple lyrics about dreaming of her sweet prince.

"_Someday __I__'__ll __find __you, __or __you__'__ll __find __me __here._

_Don't you know how long I've waited?_

_Darling, I've dreamed of you for years_

_Somehow __I__'__ve __seen __you __in __my __dreams,_

_Seen you and loved you_

_Danced with you, sang with you_

_Someday I'll find you, my love"_

"Good morning, fair lady," a familiar voice called to her – not the voice of the queen – but of her Bert. He no longer spoke in a Cockney accent, but a refined one of the upper class. He was dressed as a prince. _"__Someday __I__'__ll __find __you, __my __love__…" _he sang back to her. He was sitting atop the palace wall.

She grinned at him. _"__Darling, __I__'__ve __dreamed __of __you __for __years__…__and __here __you __are__…" _He jumped down and then he was at her side. "My name is Princess Mary," she said. "Everyone here calls me Snow White, because of my pale skin and dark hair." She gestured to her long curls that fell past her shoulders.

"A beautiful name for the most beautiful princess in the land," he said. "I am Prince Bert."

"I know you; you're the prince of my dreams," she smiled. "My Bert…"

"My Mary," he said, and he took her in his arms and whirled her around. And then he kissed her – a fairy tale kiss – it felt different from the kiss at the tea party, and the kisses on the rooftop. There was magic in this kiss. The lovers parted, and smiled at each other. "I love you, my sweet Princess."

"And I love you, my Prince Charming," Mary said. "No wonder the prince and princess always fall in love at first site with a magical kiss like that…"

"SNOW WHITE!" the queen's cold voice echoed over the palace grounds. "Where is my water pail?"

"I'm coming!" Mary called. She turned back to Bert. "I must go…"

Bert kissed her again. "My love, I will find you."

Mary nodded and took the pail of water to her stepmother.

"Foolish child, were you off daydreaming again? You need to learn to pay attention to the world around you. You are ugly and no one loves you."

"Yes ma'am," Mary said.

"Now leave my sight. Go scrub the floors," the queen said.

Mary curtseyed and left. She scrubbed the floors, humming the song she and Bert sang to each other.

Meanwhile in the palace, the queen approached her magic mirror.

"_Mirror, mirror on the wall, _

_Who is the fairest of them all?"_

A face appeared in the mirror – a vague, featureless face behind smoke. It spoke:

"_Fair queen, you have always been of beauty rare._

_But there is another whose beauty you must become aware."_

The queen gasped. "Who is she?"

Again the mirror spoke in verse:

"_Skin as white as snow,_

_Hair as dark as night,_

_Her name is Princess Mary,_

_But you know her as Snow White."_

"That hideous, worthless boar?" the queen shrieked. "It cannot be!"

_Fair__queen,__the__princess__is__anything__but__a__boar._

_Her sweetness makes men's hearts soar."_

"I will kill her before she wins the heart of a prince," the queen seethed.

The queen called her favorite huntsman, and commanded that he take the princess deep into the woods and kill her. The huntsman was horrified but went to the garden to find Mary planting flowers.

"Your highness, fair Princess, the queen has commanded me to take you to the meadow to pick wildflowers."

Mary Poppins knew the story of Snow White, so she knew that the huntsman had been ordered to kill her, but he wouldn't go through with it. She nodded demurely and followed him…

* * *

><p><strong>T<strong>he sun was shining on the meadow, and the colors of the flowers were especially bright. The illustrations in Mary's fairy tale book were exquisitely painted, she remembered. But here she was with the queen's huntsman in this beautiful meadow at the edge of the forest. Mary immediately set to her duty, filling her basket with as many flowers as she could. The huntsman watched her; it was rather eerie to have him watch her like that.

A shadow fell over her as she was picking flowers. The huntsman raised his knife, and then his hand fell. The huntsman fell to his knees in front of Mary.

"Fair princess, forgive me," he sobbed. "The queen has gone mad. She is insanely jealous of you and has ordered me to kill you. But I cannot…you are so sweet and beautiful, how could I obey such a horrible order? Run, Snow White…Princess Mary, run away and never return, or she will kill you."

Mary gasped, but remained calm. She took the huntsman's hands and drew him to his feet. "You are very brave to try to follow her orders, but I am grateful for your mercy."

The huntsman's heart melted at her kindness. "I will kill a pig and take his heart back to the queen and say it's yours. Run, my princess."

Mary nodded and ran back into the forest. She followed the path and soon came across a small, cozy cottage by a stream. _The__house__of__the__seven__dwarves,_she thought. She smiled, grateful that it had been easy to find the cottage.

She entered the cottage, knowing it would be empty. She cleaned up and then fell asleep in the dwarves' beds, as she knew she had to…

* * *

><p><strong>"W<strong>ho is she?" "Why is she here?" "She's so beautiful!" The Dwarves were whispering amongst themselves, and Mary woke to see seven little men staring at her. Then she remembered where she was – a fairy tale land, where she was the Princess Snow White and Bert was her Prince Charming.

"Pardon me, miss," one dwarf asked. "But who might you be?"

"And why are you sleeping in our beds?" the second asked.

"Well I'm called Snow White, but my real name is Mary."

"You're the princess!" the third dwarf said.

Mary smiled. "Yes, I am."

"Well you're mighty pretty," the fourth blushed.

"Aw, thank you, sweetheart," Mary said.

"We are seven dwarf brothers," the first one said. "I'm Doc. That one's Grumpy." He pointed to the second dwarf. "That's Happy." The third waved. "Bashful." The blushing one's cheeks burned pinker. "And these ware Sleepy, Sneezy, and Dopey." Each waved.

"It's lovely to meet you all."

She then told them about the queen's plot, and promised to cook and keep house if they let her stay with them. Of course they agreed. She cooked them a hearty supper, and that won them over again. Mary was a wonderful cook. After supper, they sang, played musical instruments, and told stories by the fire. Mary taught them her favorite word: "". She told them about her Prince Charming who met her by the well at the palace. They were charmed by her stories and her beautiful singing voice. Then they all went to bed.

* * *

><p><strong>A<strong>t the palace, the queen approached her mirror, sure that it would declare her the fairest in the land now that Snow White was dead.

"_Mirror, mirror on the wall, _

_Who is the fairest of them all?"_

The smoky face appeared once more.

"_Deep in the woods, in a cottage by a stream_

_Dwells the fairest girl I've seen. _

_She arrived there just tonight,_

_The fair princess called Snow White."_

The queen let out a scream so high a few cracks appeared in the glass windows. But that was no matter; glass could be repaired. Snow White must die. She raced to the dungeon and concocted a deadly poisoned apple and disguised herself as an old peddler woman.

Snow White would die the next day.

* * *

><p><strong>T<strong>he next morning, the dwarves bid goodbye to their beloved Princess Mary, for they were off to work at the mines. They warned her not to open the door for anyone, or talk to anyone who might pass through. They knew, as Mary did, that the queen might come after her. Mary promised she'd be good, though she knew she would have to let the old hag in and she'd have to take a bite of that apple.

Then she'd find Bert again. She smiled as she thought of him, wondering how he was occupying his time while he waited for her – probably riding gallantly through the kingdom. She'd have to ask him when they returned to London about what he'd seen.

London…it seemed so far away. She almost forgot that she didn't actually belong in this world…

Mary immediately set to making a pie for the dwarves, because that's how it was in the tale. She knew she wouldn't finish it. But she couldn't deviate from the story. It didn't take long at all before she looked out the window to see an old hag hobbling over the footbridge. There was a mixture of excitement and fear in her heart. Excitement, because here was the climax of this story – and because she'd soon wake to Bert's lips on hers. Fear, because she was about to die. She wouldn't really die, because she and Bert were playing pretend. They were safe in this world. Still, Mary was afraid.

The queen was almost scarily sweet, and pushed the bright red, perfect apple into her hands. "Bite it, my sweet," she was saying in her raspy voice. "Just one bite…"

Just one bite and Mary would fall. Would it hurt or would she instantly fall asleep? Would she be aware of her surroundings? Would it feel like a lifetime of waiting before her prince took her in his arms?

Mary took a bite. The apple was the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted – and then it burned. She couldn't breathe – it was burning her tongue, her stomach, her lungs, her heart… The old crone was cackling, enjoying watching Mary in pain. Mary wasn't so sure about playing pretend in a fairy tale world – would she really die? _Bert__…_her heart called. _I __think __I__'__m __really __dying. __I__'__m __sorry __for __what __I__'__ve __done__… _She felt her heart stop and she fell. Dead.

* * *

><p><strong>A<strong>cross the kingdom, Bert rode his horse – a beautiful white steed – fit for a prince in a fairy tale world. He felt something shift within him – a new sense of duty – and he knew what this meant. It was time to rescue his fair lady.

Days passed as he rode in the direction his heart was taking him. He passed mountains and rivers, valleys and meadows that were so beautiful they almost looked like a painting. He wished Mary was there to share this world with him. He wanted to hold her atop that far mountain, lay with her in the meadow…

News spread that the queen had died, and the princess had been lost. Everything was on hold in the kingdom while they searched for Snow White. The kingdom's focus was to find a rightful heir. Bert knew he didn't have much time to find Mary. He would marry the princess and together they would rule this beautiful kingdom.

Bert knew he'd find his princess in a clearing in the forest, resting in a glass gilded coffin surrounded by flowers, watched over by seven dwarves.

On the third day, he reached such a clearing, and there she was – beautiful as ever. A pain shot through Bert's heart. His beloved Mary – practically perfect Mary Poppins – was dead. Overcome with grief, he knelt by her side. He reached and stroked her smooth, ivory skin, and ran his fingers through one of her raven-colored curls. Tears fell down his cheeks. Then he leaned over her, and kissed her lips.

Mary returned to consciousness instantly at his lips' touch, and she kissed him back.

"I've saved you, fair princess," he whispered.

"I'm so glad you've found me," she smiled back.

Bert lifted his Mary out of her coffin and spun her around on the spot. Then she turned to the dwarves, who were overjoyed and dancing that the princess was alive.

"My friends, I'm so grateful for your kindness and hospitality, but my Prince has saved me and I must marry him so we'll live happily ever after." She bid the dwarves goodbye, and kissed them all.

Then Bert placed her onto his horse, and then mounted the horse himself. Mary wrapped her arms around his waist, kissed his cheek, and leaned into him.

"I love you, my Bert," she said.

"And I love you, Princess Mary," he winked. "Now let's go home."

* * *

><p><strong>M<strong>ary and Bert reappeared in his living room in London. He hugged her to him, and led her to the sofa.

"Oh, Bert, that was so much fun, it was such a wonderful idea!" She kissed him. Bert said nothing and just held her close to him. "Bert…what's wrong…?"

Bert buried his face in his hands to hide the tears that were beginning to fall. "Oh, Mary…"

"Bert…my love…" she said. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"It's foolish…but when I saw ya dead there in the coffin…it 'urt me more than I can say…I never wanna see ya like that Mary…I knew it wasn't real but…it broke me 'eart. Oh Mary, I'm just so glad to see ya alive…"

"Oh, Bert, I wasn't really dead…I always knew you'd find me and save me. But I'm so sorry for the pain I put you through," she said, kissing his cheek. The clock chimed midnight. "Oh goodness, it's late; I should go."

Bert wrapped his arms around her. "Please don't go, don't leave me."

Mary studied him for a moment. "Alright, my love…I'll stay with you tonight."

Bert led his Mary upstairs to his bedroom. She laid on his bed, and he joined her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Goodnight, fair princess. I'm so glad to have ya 'ome with me," he said, kissing her. "I love ya, Mary."

"I love you, Bert, goodnight, my prince."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Please tell me what you think. I know some of the writing isn't strong and I rely too much on the fairy tale in parts. And the rhymes...ugh I'm not a poet or a lyricist. And I know I'm completely insane for even writing a Mary Poppins/Snow White crossover. IF you like it, I've also written a Cinderella story too. It's not as good as this one. Anyway.

PLEASE REVIEW, or I may never post a Mary/Bert fic again. And I've written about 20 of them. Instead they'll just sit in my harddrive and no one will read them ever.


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